Autry Drops Thomas Lélu Collab, Hosts In-store Activations for Valentine’s Day

MILAN — Autry is celebrating Valentine’s Day with all the romantic sneakerheads.

Marking the festivity, the Italian footwear brand, whose DNA is rooted in vintage Americana, is dropping a capsule collection developed in partnership with French writer, artist and photographer Thomas Lélu, best known for his handwritten art.

Hinged on Autry’s signature Medalist sneakers, the capsule reworks the low-top silhouette adding Lélu’s tag line “Do Small Things With Great Love” splashed across the all-white upper part and midsole. They come in a dedicated black box also bearing the catchphrase.

“‘Do small things with great love’ perfectly sums up my collaboration with Autry. Writing has always been central to my work. I mainly write with a ballpoint pen, sometimes with a marker too. They are sweet little notes, witty remarks, mantras, reminders to remember, to laugh, or to heal,” Lélu said. “My first word as a child was ‘shoe,’ and now I put my words to a shoe, and not just any shoe, the Medalist, the one and only. It was meant to be; we were meant to meet, me and the Medalist, me and Autry, we were meant to do something with great love,” he offered.

In tandem with the retail debut, Autry is hosting activations at its flagship stores in Milan, London and Paris. In the latter city, the Le Marais boutique will see Lélu join Autry’s customers on Saturday for a meet and greet, handwriting personalized postcards.

All the stores hosting the activation will feature a dedicated window installation as well as hot chocolate and sweets stands.

The special edition sneakers are available on the brand’s e-commerce site, in addition to its flagships retailing for 215 euros.